The transmit power of a radio in a wireless access point (AP) is usually configured based on coverage considerations. In a network environment spanning multiple access points, it is possible that different access points operate with different transmission power. When such access points are running on the same channel, it is quite common that the access point with lower transmission power provides poor wireless network service access for a number of reasons. In particular, a biased neighbor relationship amongst access points transmitting at different transmission powers can lead to poor wireless network service access. For example, consider a network environment with two access points including a first access point transmitting at a higher power than a second access point. In the example, transmissions from the first access point can be detected by the second access point, and the first access point can fail to detect transmissions from the second access point. In turn, the first access point can assume it is the only transmitter in the network environment and continue to transmit on the medium, while the second access point is unable to pass any traffic on the medium. Specifically, since the second access point always senses the medium as busy, due to the first access point's continuous activity, the second access point can refrain from transmitting over the medium in the wireless network. Accordingly unfair sharing of the wireless medium occurs, potentially leading to failed transmissions for clients through the second access point. This problem is especially prevalent in high density deployments, e.g. stadiums, where a large number of access points are implemented to provide network services to a large number of clients.
In order to solve the problem of a biased relationship, e.g. transmission relationship, amongst access points in a network environment, RxSOP thresholds of the access points can be adjusted for wirelessly providing network services to clients. An RxSOP threshold of an access point, as used herein, is a threshold used by the access point to determine whether to decode received packets and subsequently decode the received packets. Specifically, an access point can be configured to only decode packets that are received at a reception power greater than an RxSOP threshold of the access point. With respect to the previously described situation of the biased relationship amongst access points, RxSOP thresholds of the access points can be used to solve, at least in the part, the problems created by the biased relationship in wirelessly providing network services. Specifically, an RxSOP threshold of the second access point can be increased to make the second access point less sensitive to transmissions made by the first access point. For example, the RxSOP threshold of the second access point can be increased above a reception level of at least a portion of the transmissions made by the first access point. In turn, the second access point will ignore these transmissions from the first access point and proceed with making its own transmissions over the wireless medium shared with the first access point in order to provide access to network services.
While adjusting an RxSOP threshold can solve the problems created by a biased relationship of access points, RxSOP threshold adjustment is a technique that should be implemented carefully. In particular, tuning RxSOP thresholds in a network environment that includes multiple access points is difficult to perform at scale. There therefore exist needs for systems and methods for dynamically adjusting an RxSOP threshold of an access point, e.g. in a network environment with a large number of access points, while mitigating or limiting harmful effects of the RxSOP threshold on providing network services through the network environment. In particular, there exist needs for systems and methods for dynamically adjusting an RxSOP threshold of an access point in a network environment while increasing or maximizing throughput performance within the network environment.
Specifically, RxSOP threshold adjustment can adversely affect network coverage and the overall experience in providing network services. In particular, RxSOP threshold adjustment can lead to inadvertent disassociation of clients from an access point. For example, an RxSOP threshold of an access point can be increased to the point where the access point fails to decode packets received from a client, e.g. not hear the client. As a result, the access point can fail to provide network service access to the client, even though the client is in range of the access point. There therefore exist needs for systems and methods for dynamically adjusting an RxSOP threshold of an access point while still providing network service access to all or a large number of clients within range of the access point.
Further, RxSOP threshold adjustment can adversely affect network coverage by further creating a biased relationship amongst access points, thereby leading to starved access points. For example, an RxSOP threshold of an access point can be increased to the point where the access point fails to decode packets received from a neighboring access point on a shared wireless medium, e.g. not hear the neighboring access point. In turn, the access point can assume that it is the only access point with traffic and proceed to flood the shared wireless medium with its own traffic. This can preventing the neighboring access point from using the shared wireless medium to transmits its own traffic, thereby creating a starved neighboring access point. In turn, this can degrade network performance for clients using the neighboring access point to access network services. There therefore exist needs for systems and methods for dynamically adjusting an RxSOP threshold of an access point while still allowing the access point to detect transmissions from neighboring access points.